Nail-sorting device



July 13 1926. 1,592,697

O. H. HOVDA NAIL SORTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 9. 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 'July 13 ,1926. 1,592,697

0. H. HOVDA NAIL SOR'RING DEVICE Filed Oct. 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 13,1926. 1, 2, y: o. H. HOVDA NAIL sba'rxue DEVICE Filed 00x. 9, 1924 s Sheets-Sheet s Patented July 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER H. HOVDA, OF BILLING-S, MONTANA.

. ii 2 i NAIL-SORTING DEVICE.

The present invention relates to improve lnents in nail sorting devices and has for an object to provide an improvedslot arrangement to be incorporated in a shaking drum, sieve or other device whereby the sorting of nails into varioussizes may be carried on expeditiously and economically.

In the manufacturing of nails the machines used for this purpose are set in battery and the machines which turnout the many different sizes are set very close together, and through the operation, there are many ways for the different sizes to become intermixed.

These nails in this mixed condition are classed as seconds, and until they are sorted to the different kegs containing their respective sizes, are unfit for the retail market. After the nails have been separated they again become No. 1, merchandise.

It is therefore a further object of the invention to provide a slot arrangement in a drum or other device of simple construction and calculated to effect the sorting of nails without permitting a mixture thereof.

YVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly point-edout in the claims appended 1 hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is a cross section taken through a drum in which the new slot arrangement is incorporated.

Figure 2 shows an interior plan view of a portion of the drum laid out in a straight line.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken through Figure 2.

Figure 4; is a partial fragmentary view showing the slot arrangement.

Figure 5 isa diagrammatic view showing the drum included in a complete apparatus.

Figure 6 is also a diagrammatic view showing a different arrangement.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevation of a drum combined with sectional views of the sieves.

Figure 8 is a plan view of one of the sieves.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing aportion of the sieve cou= structon, and

Application filed October 9, 1924. Serial No. 742,657.

Figure 10 is a cross section taken on an enlarged scale of a portion of the sieve.

Referring more particularly to Figures '1 to linclusive 11 designates a drum adapted to be given a vibratory movement in opposite directions as later explained in connec tion with Figure 5 and in this drum are included a number of slots to permit of the passage of nails. The slots are formed by adjoining peripheral plates 12 and 13 of the drum which are spaced apart to permit the passage of nails and the spaced ends are preferably stepped, there being a back wall 1% extending outwardly preferably at an inclination to the radius of the drum from the innermost end of the stepped plates.

The slot is overlapped by a base plate 15 connecting with the outer edge of the wall 1 1 and extending along parallel with the adjoining peripheral plate 13. Between the plate 13 and the base plate 15 are a number of partitions 16 longer than the plate 15 is wide and extending beyond the free edge of said plate in order to separate the nails as they are discharged from the drum.

The opposite ends of the partitions are enlarged and curved inwardly of the drum as indicated at 17 in order to extend the full width of the back plate 1 1 and to act on the nails, preventing longer nails from getting down into the slot. The partition plates 16 are spaced apart at various distances in order to receive nails of different lengths. The plates 12 and 13 form supports for interior convex plates 18 which are welded or otherwise secured to said peripheral plates. These convex plates are arranged to guide the nails to the various slots. The partition 16 and other parts may be welded or otherwise secured together, and preferably though not necessarily made of sheet metal.

In Figure 5 is shown a hopper 19 in which nails are adapted to be initially placed and 20 represents a conveyor for lifting the nails from the hopper into an initial sorting sieve 21. This sieve is intended to remove the spikes and large headed roofing nails. The other nails pass through the sieve on to a trough 22 which leads through one head of the drum 11. The trough feeds into the axis of the drum. The other end of the drum is provided with a pulley 23 and belt 24 connecting with any suitable source of power by which a vibratory or oscillatory the drum and 29 a trough having a slot 30 disposed beneath the drum and adapted to distribute the nails onto the upper andlower -11 and'the sieves as in Figure 5. 'S16V8S are composed. of metal members as given the drum. Of course other mechanical parts may replace the pulley and beltbut I merely illustrate this as one way in which the movement of the drum can be effected. The drum is arranged on an inclination from left downwardly to right and a series of sieves are placed beneath dii'ierent parts of the drum. At the upper left end portion of the drum there is an upper sieve 25 beneath which is arranged a lower sieve 26 while beneath the lower right hand portion of the drum is an upper sieve 27 and below this upper sieve is disposed a. lower sieve 28. These sieves may begiven a vibratory movement as by means of the cocentrics 29 illustrated in Figure 6. The sievesare formed with slots for sorting the nails in a manner hereafter described.

The slot arrangement in the upper left handportion of the drum ll is so disposed that only small nails will be permitted to enter the first sieve 25 and for this purpose the partitions 16 of the slot arrangement are placed relatively close together, so as to prevent the larger nails from getting down into "the sieve 25. The drum is provided with thissamesizze slot for the portion of its lengthv extending 0%. the first l sieve 25 and the slots in the right hand portioniof the drum above the sieve 2'? are made longer in order to permit nails of a bigger size to fall into said sieve 27. The drum is shown: broken away in Figure. 5 in order to indicate that it may be of any length and the various sections of this. drurnwill. he graduated successively from left toright as to the size of the slots and as many different sizesama-y be employed as found necessary --with appropriate sieves arranged beneath the various sections. will sort out nails of larger. size as delivered ifroml this section of the drum and permit relatively smaller nails to descend to the sieve 26 below and this sieve will allow the -.sn1allest nails to: pass therethrough. to a keg .onoompartment arranged to receive same.

The ripper sieve 25 ;In a similar manner the largest nails will .becaught'in the vsieveQ? below the lower end of the drum and nails of the next smaller size may pass to and be held in the sieve 28 while the nails of a third size pass downto another. sieve below or to a lreg or container.

lIIl Figure 6 there is shown-a slightly different arrangement in which 11 represents vibratory sieves 31,,and 32 respectively.

In Figure 7-the drum is represented at These shown .in Figures 9 and 10, these metal mernbers paralleling one another and spaced apartso as to.prov1de the slots 33 for the purpose of admitting the shanks 3st of the nails while the heads are. caught in the members at the sides of the slots. A the ends of the slots are openings 36 large enough to permit the heads ot-the nails to drop through. These openings 36 will be (if-graduated size in the various sieves. These openings are provided in the end 1 plate 87 held in the frame of the sieve. The

members are made up of inverted Ushaped pieces of sheet metal or channel strips having the side walls 38 and. 39 with the open portion of the channel disposed downwarch while the upper part is closed by the upwardly convergentwalls 40 and ell meet ing: in the rida'e 4.2. Tlhe sloping walls ill and 41 direct the nails downwardly toward the slots. A reinforcing plate 4:? inserted between the walls 38 and 39 preferably at the upper portions thereof so as to form with the sloping walls a triangular arrangement of great strength. lh'om the bottoms of the side .walls 38 and 539 the metal is turned upon itself outwardly and folded into parallel relation against the outside faces of the said walls thus producing plat-es 453 and 44 which are of slightly greater height than the walls and 39an7od11cint: upwardly e rtending sharp edges on which the heads of the nails 35 are intended to easily ride. The sieves may be inclined so that the nails will, ride down the slots and drop through the openings 36 where the nails are of a size to pass through such openings.

The SIGVBSZEUQ preferably vibrated by an eccentric or other motion, asshownin Fig);-

.ure 6 to cause the nailsntoseek the .openings. 36.

It 1s obvious that various changes and .Inodiiications may be made in-the details of c onstruction and design ottheabove specifically descrlbed embodiment of this in- Wention withoutddepartingz from the spirit thereof such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the fol lowing claims.

What is claimed is LA device for sorting nails and the like comprising a drum, means for oscillating tionsbetween said plates for dividing the slots into compartments.

2. A device for sorting nails comprising .a drum, means-for oscillating said drum, :1

series of substantially Z-shaped plates at one side ofsaid drum with inverted Z- shaped plates at the other side of the drum,

saidplates beingseparated to provide narrowislots therebetween, partitions between said plates and in the slots fordividing the same, and means attached to said Z-shaped plates for guiding the nails to the slots.

3. A device for sorting nails and the like comprising a drum, means for oscillating said drum, peripheral plates on the drum and extending angularly with respect to the circumference of the drum and having their adjacent ends ofiset radially and circumferentially to provide slots therebetween, a base plate extending substantially circum- Jterentially and overlapping the slots, said back plates being outwardly of the peripheral plates, back walls connecting the ends of the peripheral plates with the ends of the base plates, and partitions secured to said peripheral and base plates and to said back wall having curved edges extending between the offset or radially oiiset edges of the peripheral plates.

4. A device for sorting nails and the like comprising a drum, means for oscillating said drum, peripheral plates on the drum and extending angularly with respect to the circumference of the drum and having their adjacent ends offset radially and circumferentially to provide slots therebetween, a base plate extending substantially circumferentially and overlapping the slots, said back plates being outwardly of the peripheral plates, back walls connecting the ends of the peripheral plates with the ends of the base plates, partitions secured to said peripheral and base plates and to said back wall having curved edges extending between the oiiset or radially offset edges of the peripheral plates, and convex plates secured to the inner sides of said peripheral plates for guiding the nails to the spaces between the peripheral plates.

5. A device for sorting nails comprising plates with their ends separated and oflset to provide narrow slots for receiving the nails, and partition plates secured in said slots and having curved edges extending be tween the separated and offset ends of said plates.

6. A device for sorting nails comprising a drum mounted for rotational movement and with its axis extending at an inclination to the horizontal, means for subjecting said drum to an oscillating movement about said axis, said drum having at one side thereof substantially Z-shaped plates with sorting slots therebetween for the passage ot the nails and inverted Z-shaped plates at the opposite sides of said drum also provided. with slots therebetween to receive the nails, means between said slots for guiding the nails thereto, and partitions between said Z-shaped plates and in the slots, the drum being divided into axially spaced sections with the partitions disposed at different distances apart in said sections.

OLIVER H. HOVDA. 

